VISITS OF MINISTERS AND MISUSE OF OFFICIAL VEHICLES/MACHINERY

General Elections - Tours of Ministers.

------------------------------------------------------ANNEXURE-I

Copy of circular letter No. 10/17/89-M&G, dated November 1, 1989 of the Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs, New Delhi.

Office Memorandum

Subjects:- General Election to Lok Sabha Tours of Minister in Connection with election campaign.

The undersigned is directed to say that whenever elections to the Lok Sabha are held, questions are invariably raised in Parliament about the tours undertaken by the Ministers in connection with the election campaign. In reply, as a general policy it has always been made clear that according to existing instructions, tours in connections with election campaign are not to be treated as official tours and that the services of Government officials cannot be utilised for party of election work. The Ministry of Home Affairs have been issuing instructions regarding tours of ministers for non official purposes, including election tours from time to time. These instructions had been summarised and a copy thereof was laid on the Table of the Lok Sabha on 31st July, 1970. As the general election to the Lok Sabha are due to be held in November, 1989 a copy of the summary of these instructions is enclosed with the request that its contents may be brought to the notice of the Ministers.

Instructions regarding the tours of Minister for non-official purposes including election tours, are contained in several communications issued and reissued from time to time.

General Instructions:-

(1) Until a Minister demits office he is in charge of public affairs and accordingly even while on tours, whether for official or private purposes, he must continue to discharge the responsibilities as Minister Hence,

(a) he can take with him the minimum personal staff needed for this purpose and such staff is entitled to draw travelling and daily allowance under the rules; and

(b) when he visits any place, the district officers must arrange for normal courtesies and security.

(2) A Minister may claim travelling and daily allowance only in respect of tours undertaken for official purposes i.e. tours, actually necessitated by duties which he could not perform, at headquarters. If an official tour is combined with private business of the Minister, which includes party work, and he has to undertake any additional journey for this purpose, he is not entitled to any travelling allowance for the additional journey. If a Minister while on official tour devotes any day of his halt exclusively for private business he is not entitled to day allowance for that day.

Special instructions regarding election tours:

(3) Whenever a Minister decides that meeting which is going to be addressed by him as an election meeting he should ask for arrangements to be made on his behalf non officially and not by Government Servants. During the election tours Government meetings would be rare and normally public meetings should be considered election meetings and all expenses except those relating to maintenance of law and order, borne privately.

(4) The role of officials at election meetings should be confined to maintaining law and order and affording normal protection to Ministers.



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